xt
06-22-2007, 01:14 AM
I'm not sure where this really belongs, but I figured y'all would understand what I mean.
I'm really used to doing everything with kids around. My kids, my friends' kids, kids at the park, kids at the store. I don't ever think of kids as out of place. Even if I take them to the grocery store in the middle of the day, it rarely raises an eyebrow in our homeschool-friendly county.
So when we went to DH's work to eat lunch with him last week and everyone seemed shocked to see children, I was surprised by their reactions. I hadn't given it much thought lately. My kids even go to work with DH sometimes. It's not a big deal to us, but it's apparently not the norm in the 25 story office buildings in town. ;) The kids weren't loud or disruptive, just present, and that was odd in itself.
I know there are ways people integrate childcare into the workplace and whatnot, but it's rare yet. I think we lost a lot as a society when we started sending them away. They learn so much from us, and we learn so much from them. I think if I ever go back to a normal job, I'll have to be a teacher. I like having kids around, and I love seeing and hearing their contributions, and I would lose that privilege if I were an engineer or an actuary. In my ideal world, I'll be able to work from home and keep my little people around as much as they want, helping out with my work or doing their own work.
On a similar note, where did we put all of our elders? They're all pushed away, too. The whole climate of age segregation feels wrong to me.
I'm really used to doing everything with kids around. My kids, my friends' kids, kids at the park, kids at the store. I don't ever think of kids as out of place. Even if I take them to the grocery store in the middle of the day, it rarely raises an eyebrow in our homeschool-friendly county.
So when we went to DH's work to eat lunch with him last week and everyone seemed shocked to see children, I was surprised by their reactions. I hadn't given it much thought lately. My kids even go to work with DH sometimes. It's not a big deal to us, but it's apparently not the norm in the 25 story office buildings in town. ;) The kids weren't loud or disruptive, just present, and that was odd in itself.
I know there are ways people integrate childcare into the workplace and whatnot, but it's rare yet. I think we lost a lot as a society when we started sending them away. They learn so much from us, and we learn so much from them. I think if I ever go back to a normal job, I'll have to be a teacher. I like having kids around, and I love seeing and hearing their contributions, and I would lose that privilege if I were an engineer or an actuary. In my ideal world, I'll be able to work from home and keep my little people around as much as they want, helping out with my work or doing their own work.
On a similar note, where did we put all of our elders? They're all pushed away, too. The whole climate of age segregation feels wrong to me.